Activity #1: Position Paper

Topic: K to 12 Implementation in the Philippine Education System

The K to 12 Education program by the Department of Education, said to refurbish

the basic and secondary education curriculum by adding two more years to the system,
is arguably one of the most drastic and controversial programs of the Aquino
administration.

In a world where knowledge goes obsolete at a faster rate and everyone is

literally competing with the rest of the world for work and skill, the Filipino must prepare
itself to be competitive with his peers. The K to 12 program is made to do such. From a
child’s entrance to schooling to his preparations for the workforce, the program aims to
give the student basic competencies he needs for life and make him physically,
mentally, and socially prepared to face life after graduation.

The past system, which the Filipino student is only required to go to school for 10
years – 6 years in elementary and 4 years in high school. In this case, an average
student spends 20% more time in school than his peers from around the world. This
may be an advantage, but looking at it closely, a 10-year education system congests
subjects at a shorter time, thereby giving less time for the student to understand and
have the grasp of basic skills. Detraction of K to 12 program may not understand that a
child has a life outside school. Giving more time for chores, leisure and extra-curricular
activities may help the child to learn skills outside of the school setting.

Noticeable too is this 2-year gap created by the present 10-year school system.
Filipino students usually graduate when reaching 16, but existing laws establish the
legal age of 18 years old, and that’s the only time the student may enter the workforce.
But most industries do not accept students of the present system blaming lack of
competency, hence students are forced to take bridging courses from technical schools
or enter the university just to get a diploma and be competitive for the workforce. The K
to 12 aims to solve the problem by making the government take over the rule of giving
tech-voc. education to high school students. The additional 2 years of basic education
will allow high school students to specialize in a field they’re interested to.